The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American-Irish animated adventure drama film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios, Ambling Partners' Amblin Entertainment and Lucasfilm (despite not receiving an official credit nor the film's marketing bearing the studio's logo), it features dinosaurs living in the prehistoric times. The plot concerns a young Brontosaurus named Littlefoot who is orphaned when his mother is killed by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Littlefoot flees famine and upheaval to search for the Great Valley, an area spared from devastation. On his journey, he meets four young companions: Cera, a Triceratops, Ducky, a Saurolophus, Petrie, a Pteranodon, and Spike a Stegosaurus. The film explores issues of prejudice between the different species and the hardships they endure in their journey as they are guided by the spirit of Littlefoot's mother and also forced to deal with the murderous Tyrannosaurus Rex that killed her. This is the only Don Bluth film of the 1980s in which Dom DeLuise did not participate (instead, he starred in Disney's Oliver & Company that same year), and the only film in The Land Before Time series that is not a musical, as well as the only one to be released theatrically worldwide. Released by Universal Pictures on November 18, 1988, the film was a critical and financial success, and spawned a multimillion-dollar franchise with thirteen direct-to-video sequels and a television series (without involvement from Bluth, Spielberg or Lucas) as well as merchandise (toys, video games, etc.). Plot Near the end of the Cretaceous, a series of catastrophic event are causing intense drought, and several herds of dinosaurs seek one of the last livable places, a paradise known as the Great Valley. Among these, a diminished Longneck herd gives birth to a single baby, named Littlefoot. Years later, Littlefoot plays with Cera, a Three-horn, who was trying to smash a beetle until her father intervenes; whereupon Littlefoot's mother names the different kinds of dinosaurs; Three-horns, Spiketails, Swimmers, and Flyers, and states that each has historically remained apart. That night, as Littlefoot follows a hopper, he encounters Cera again, and they play together briefly until a Sharptooth appears. He attacks them, before Littlefoot's mother comes to their rescue. During the fight, she suffers severe back and neck injuries from the Sharptooth's teeth and claws. At that same time, an earthshake opens a deep ravine that swallows up the Sharptooth and divides Littlefoot and Cera from their herds. Dinosaurs are seen dying from the earthshake. Littlefoot find his dying mother, and receives her final words of advice in favor of his intuition. Depressed and confused, Littlefoot meets an old Clubtail named Rooter, who consoles him upon learning of his mother's death. Littlefoot later hears his mother's voice guiding him to follow the bright circle past the great rock that looks like a longneck and then past the mountains that burn to the Great Valley. Now alone in his journey, Littlefoot meets Cera once again and tries to get her to join him but she arrogantly refuses his help, and stalks off into the darkness after falling down a ravine. Later, Littlefoot is accompanied by a young Bigmouth named Ducky, whose cheery company bears him out of his depression. Soon after, they meet a Flyer named Petrie, whose acrophobia and inability to fly makes him extremely insecure and nervous. Meanwhile Cera, who is attempting to find her own kind, find the unconscious Sharptooth inside the ravine. Thinking he is dead, she harasses him, during which she unintentionally wakes him up, and flees in terror. She soon bumps into Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie, and tells them that the Sharptooth is alive, although Littlefoot does not believe her. She then describes her encounter (exaggerating her bravery), during which she accidentally flings Ducky into the air. When she lands, Ducky discovers a mute hatchling Spiketail, whom she names Spike and brings him into the group. Seeking the Great Valley, they discover a cluster of trees, which is abruptly depleted by a herd of Whiptailed Longnecks. Searching for remaining growth, they discover one tree still with leaves, and obtain food by stacking up atop each other and pulling the leaves down. Cera remains aloof, but a nightfall, everyone, including herself, gravitates to Littlefoot's side for warmth and companionship. The next morning, they are attacked by the Sharptooth, but escape through a cave-tunnel too small to admit him. Beyond this, they discover the Longneck-shaped monolith mentioned by Littlefoot's mother, and later a string of mountains that burn. Cera grows impatient of the seemingly aimless trip and, after they arrive to a barren valley she mistakes for the Great Valley, decides to go another way. Littlefoot tries to tell her that she is going the wrong way and eventually he is pushed into attacking her, but the two end up hurting each other to the point where they hate each other. Not caring about Cera's disloyalty, Littlefoot continues in the direction he was told, while the others follow Cera, who feel her route is easier. However, Cera's route soon leads them into danger, as Ducky and Spike become endangered by lava and Petrie gets stuck in a tar pit after falling off Cera. Littlefoot rescues them, and they soon find Cera harassed by a small gang of large angry Dome-heads. Having been coated in tar while trying to rescue Petrie, they scare them away. Ashamed of her fear and reluctant to admit her mistake, Cera leaves them in tears. Later, while crossing a pond, Petrie spies the Sharptooth nearby. Tired of being stalked and determined to avenge his mother, Littlefoot plots to lure him into the water (using Ducky as bait) beneath a nearby boulder, intending to drown him. Their luring of the Sharptooth succeeds, but Littlefoot and Spike have trouble moving the boulder, putting Ducky in serious danger. In the struggle that follows, a draft from the Sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to fly, which also cures his fear of flying and gives him the courage to stall Sharptooth. Sharptooth leaps onto the boulder and the plan nearly fails until Cera reunites with the group to allow Littlefoot and his friends to push both Sharptooth and the boulder into the water below. Sharptooth, who is still determined to attack the young dinosaurs, tries to take Petrie with him to his death. Littlefoot and his friends mourn the apparent loss of Petrie until Ducky finds him, soaked and exhausted, but still very much alive, to her delight. Littlefoot, alone follows a cloud resembling his mother to the Great Valley, where he is joined by the others. Upon arrival, Petrie impresses his family with his newfound flight, while Ducky introduces Spike to her family, who adopt him. Vera reunites with her father and Littlefoot rejoins his grandparents. Cera then calls for Littlefoot to play. They join their friends at the top of a hill and embrace each other in a group hug, while looking up to the sky. Cast * Gabriel Damon as Littlefoot * Candace Hutson as Cera * Judith Barsi as Ducky * Will Ryan as Petrie * Helen Shaver as Littlefoot's mother * Burke Byrnes as Cera's father * Bill Erwin as Littlefoot's grandfather * Pat Hingle as Narrator and Rooter Songs * If We Hand On Together (performed by Diana Ross) International releases * United States: November 18, 1988 * Japan: March 18, 1989 * Spain: June 9, 1989 * France: June 21, 1989 * West Germany: June 22, 1989 * Brazil: July 20, 1989 * United Kingdom: July 28, 1989 * Ireland: July 28, 1989 * Portugal: July 28, 1989 * Australia: September 21, 1989 * Denmark: October 13, 1989 * Peru: December 1989 * Finland: December 8, 1989 * Sweden: December 15, 1989 * South Korea: December 22, 1989 * Iceland: December 23, 1989 * Italy: December 24, 1989 * Greece: October 10, 2006 International titles * Argentina, Mexico, Peru: Pie pequeno en busca Del Valle encantado * Belgium & Netherlands: Platvoet en zijn vriendjes * Brazil & Portugal: Em Busca do Vale Encantado * Bulgaria: ? * Canada: Petit-pied le dinosaure * Croatia & Serbia: Zemlja daleke proslosti * Denmark: Landet for laenge siden * Finland: Maa Aikojen Alussa * France: Le petit dinosaure et la vallée des merveilles * Germany: In einem Land vor unserer Zeit * Greece: I gi prin arhisei o hronos * Hungary: Öslények országa * Italy: Alla ricerca della valle incantata * Japan: リトルフットの大冒険 謎の恐竜大陸 (Ritorufutto no daibouken Nazo no kyouryuu tairiku) (Littlefoot's great adventure: The mysterious dinosaur continent) * Lithuania: Pirmykste Zeme * Norway: Lillefot og vennene hans * Poland: Pradawny lad 1: Pierwsza, wielka przygoda * Romania: Taramul uitat de timp * Russia: ? * Sweden: Landet för länge sedan * Spain: En busca del valle encantado * Ukraine: ? Legacy The film generated many direct-to-video sequels (The Land Before Time (franchise)) which differ from the original by adding sing-a-long musical numbers. Bluth and his animation studio have no affiliation with any of the film's sequels. The sequels have generally been met with mixed reception with several fans of the original disregarding the sequels, while others have embraced the sequels into the canon of the story. International dubs For information about international dubs, The Land Before Time/International. Category:1988 films Category:1980s American animated films Category:Films produced by Don Bluth Category:Films produced by Gary Goldman Category:Films produced by John Pomeroy Category:Films directed by Don Bluth Category:Film scores by James Horner Category:Universal Pictures films Category:Universal Pictures animated films Category:Amblin Entertainment films Category:Half-Disney Feature Animation Category:Non-Disney animated films Category:Universal Studios Category:DVD Category:VHS